Gorgeous Echo💙

pre-citadel echo in bad-batcher gear 💙 this is like a year into the war 🖤❤️

ignore the inaccurate placement of the hand print 💀

A Buir's Burden (One-Shot)

This is my entry for the first week of @clone-wars-winter-challenge's The Clone Wars Winter Spectacular 2024! It's also my first attempt at whump AND my first time writing Alpha-17 (help that's a lot of firsts - and multitasking!). I was a bit reluctant about writing Alpha-17, because everything I know about him comes from fanart and headcanons. I hope I did him justice!

Summary: Alpha-17 is interrupted from his nightly solitude when a little vod is in need of help Rating: Teen and up Tags: hurt/comfort, whump, fluff (buir/adiike/vode bonding), blood and injury, clone cadets Words: 1.539 Characters: Alpha-17, Cadet CT-7567 Rex, Cadet CC-2224 Cody Prompts: Peppermint / "I feel cold" / Alpha-17 Read this one-shot here on AO3

A sharp, icy wind terrorised Tipoca City, slamming snowflakes against the transparisteel windows as it howled a harrowing song. It was darker than usual outside, the landing platforms abandoned. Inside the domed structures, the sterile white corridors weren't much busier either at this hour. To Alpha-17, it was the perfect moment to ponder in silence, as he roamed the empty corridors with large yet slow steps.

Suddenly, he laid eyes on a lonely cadet, standing out by his short, blonde hair. The boy couldn't be older than 5; but who knew exactly, with the clones' accelerated ageing? The kid silently looked up at him, his eyes big and watery. Alpha kneeled down in front of him and put a comforting hand on the kid's shoulder. "What is it, boy?"

The kid wiped his nose with his sleeve whilst making a sniffing sound, before addressing his senior with worried gasps between every shaking word. "It's-It's Cody. H-he hurt himself," he stammered, as his eyes started to tear up. Alpha gently squeezed the boy's shoulder before granting him an encouraging nod. "And where is Cody now?"

Without hesitation, the blonde kid’s small hand grabbed Alpha's index finger and pulled it after him, urging the ARC to follow him. Alpha did, only taking him big steps to keep up with the hasty child. It didn't take them long to reach one of the doors to an outside landing platform. The kid halted, pointed towards the door and looked up towards Alpha expectantly.

"Kid, what were you doing outside?" Alpha sighed, as he walked over to the door to open it. A faint feeling of dread creeped up deep inside him, not sure what he would find outside. The boy swallowed audibly before he found the courage to answer the adult. "We.. We wanted to touch the white stuff," he replied in a soft, trembling voice, lowering his gaze.

Alpha frowned at the words, before it dawned on him. "The snow?" he shot out in surprise when he realised, a faint smile appearing on his face as he looked affectionately at the kid, who returned his suspicions with an enthusiastic nod in affirmation. "But Cody slipped and hit his head!" he cried out anxiously, pointing at his brother as soon as the door whooshed open.

The cadet's small body laid head down and motionless on the hard surface of the landing platform, his brown hair and the fabric of his uniform swaying around as the icy wind touched his body. The faint feeling of dread suddenly took over, and without another word, Alpha ran over to the kid. The platform was slippery, but he was able to smoothly make his way towards the injured cadet, sliding down on his knees when he reached him.

His own heart racing, Alpha quickly checked for a heartbeat. He was relieved when he found one, noticing how the boy's ribcage slowly moved with every breath - although faintly. With the utmost care, he rolled the boy over and took him in his arms, tightly pulling him against his chest. He cautiously found his way back inside, where the blonde-haired boy was waiting nervously, fretting with concern over his brother.

Without losing more precious time, Alpha found his way towards the medbay, Cody clasped in his embrace, afraid he would otherwise let the kid fall from his arms. The blonde cadet followed closely behind, almost running into him whenever he slowed down to turn a corner.

When they reached the medbay and walked into the room, they were welcomed by the scent of sterilised equipment. It reminded Alpha of peppermint, although he hoped the young cadets would keep associating it with sweets rather than medical instruments - at least for now.

Alpha looked around, but there was no one here; no injured clones, but no active med droids either. He grunted; you could never trust a droid when you needed one. He walked to the nearest bed and carefully placed the injured kid on it, preparing to do whatever was necessary to patch him up.

Now that they were inside with some proper lighting, he was able to examine the kid's injuries. Cody was still unconscious, but he was breathing. The big gap on his brow ridge did worry Alpha, as wet blood was sticking to the cold skin. He turned around to find some med supplies in order to start his treatment.

When he returned to the bed, the other kid was peering over the edge of it, his eyes straight at his brother. Worry was written all over his young face. Alpha managed a smile before addressing him. "He'll be alright, I'm gonna fix him up," he shot at the kid in an attempt to comfort him. His big, brown eyes shifted to Alpha as he spoke to him.

He cleared his throat as he took an irrigation bulb from the medpac and gently started to clean the wound with the container’s cleansing fluid. "So, er- What's your name, kid?" he asked the blonde one, trying to sound as warm and approachable as possible. The kid focussed on Alpha's treatment, following his every move with great concern for his brother. "I'm CT-7567," he answered without looking up. Alpha huffed wryly, briefly checking on the wound before continuing to clean it. "But have you picked a name yet?" he continued, but the kid's only reaction was a shy shake with his head.

Alpha carefully examined the wound before applying coagulant to make sure the blood would clot, and thus stopping any further bleeding. After he was done, he gently placed a bacta patch on top of the wound. It would heal nicely, but the cut was deep; it would probably leave a scar on the boy’s brow ridge.

The blonde kid finally found his courage to share more of his feelings. "I wish.. I wish I had been strong enough to help him myself. To carry him back inside. I didn't like to leave him behind on the platform." Alpha interrupted his treatment to look the kid in the eyes, slightly leaning forward. "I understand; we don't leave brothers behind. But since you couldn't help him yourself, you did the right thing to come and find someone else. You'll find your strength - you'll get the experience."

He leaned back and took a cloth from the medpac, which he used to softly wipe the remnants of blood from Cody’s skin. Despite his focus, he was able to shoot an encouraging smile towards the other cadet. "I think you were very courageous tonight. I know a name that would fit you very well. Do you like to hear it?" The boy looked up at him eagerly before slowly nodding. "I think you'd make a great Rex," Alpha answered the boy’s anticipation, interrupting his nodding to make room for a frown. "Rex? What does that mean?" the cadet shot out in confusement.

After wiping the last visible blood away, Alpha put the cloth down and looked the kid straight in the eyes in encouragement before elaborating. "That you're a great leader. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses. You'll be there for your brothers when they need you, but you'll know when to call for help when you need it. There is no shame in that. You're a great brother, Rex." The boy's face lit up instantly, his eyes glistening proudly.

At that moment, Cody groaned, his limbs shivering as he finally started to wake up. Alpha immediately shifted his focus to the injured boy, hoping to make him as comfortable as possible. "I feel cold..," Cody whispered, the pain and discomfort written on his hurt face. "I got you," Alpha replied softly, looking around to search for something that could help warm the kid, but there wasn't anything useful. There was only one thing that came to mind now.

With a smooth movement, he unclipped his chestplate and put it on the floor, before quickly continuing to take off the armour attached to his upper body. When he was done, he zipped down the upper part of his blacks, and carefully took Cody in his arms again. He placed the cold cadet on his chest, making sure to drape the blacks around him. He could use his body warmth to raise the kid’s temperature.

As soon as Cody felt the skin's warmth, he sighed contently and nestled himself into a comfortable position, making a smile appear on Alpha's face. He was shaken from his affection over Cody when he realised Rex had walked over and was now standing at his side. He looked at Alpha expectantly, but was too shy to ask his burning question.

Alpha couldn't help but chuckle, slightly shaking his head. "Alright, alright, you too, little vod," he smiled, before extending one arm towards him. He scooped Rex off the floor and aided the kid towards him. Rex climbed on top of Alpha's chest, comfortably snuggling himself against his warming brother's side.

In a reflex of protectiveness, Alpha put his arms tenderly around the bundle of boys on top of him, before carefully leaning backwards. He hummed softly as he closed his eyes, feeling two small heartbeats comfortably beating against his chest, before slowly dozing off into a warm slumber.

A Quick Cuddle - Part 1 - Wrecker

Hi all! Since I really needed some comfort (and it seems like many others need it right now too) this will be my first post for Echo-vember. I've decided to post one Echo-focused fic each week of November revolving around the first time Echo hugs each of the batch. If you want to be tagged when I post these fics let me know <3

Thank you @renton6echo for coming up with the concept of Echo-vember. I'm excited for it <3

Ao3 Link

Part 2 - Tech - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Part 3 - Hunter - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Part 4 - Crosshair - Tumblr Link & Ao3 Link

Summary: The first time Echo hugs Wrecker

Word Count: 1,021

Their mission had gone off without a hitch. It was the first of many, Echo hoped, as they boarded the Marauder to embark on whatever was next for the group. He could barely keep up with how fast everything was moving. One mission after another, no planet longer than a few days, so much to learn he was racing just not to fall behind. Rest days were far and few between. He slept even less with Clones Force 99 than he did when he was a 501st ARC. Even when he did it was always surrounded by people just as he liked it, constantly listening to the sounds of snores and chatter and even breathing. That was okay with Echo. He didn’t have too much time to think in between rushing into battle and his new squad was about as chaotic as he expected. They were nearly yelling over each other in the excited rush that followed their mission. It was swift, simple, but they’d run into the need for an explosion and that got all of their blood pumping. Who would’ve thought, the squad of excitable commandos liked when things went boom. He was busy smiling at them, ignoring the need to make a plan, set a path, move on, while they pushed each other around and chattered.

“That was awesome!” Wrecker whooped as he whipped his helmet off, letting it clatter to the floor. A wide smile stretched across his face, skin flushed with excitement. He shoved Echo’s shoulder. “Who knew you could do something like that?!” Right. Echo tried to bite back the grin but he was fighting a losing battle. He’d been on top of a walker, helping plant explosives while the rest of them distracted enemies for him and the big guy. Apparently using his grappling hook to swing off the side of it, wrapping its legs together, and tucking into a roll as he dismounted wasn’t just a common method everyone used. When he’d knocked the walker over he yelled at Wrecker to run, close enough that their backs heated while the explosion went off behind them. Echo wasn’t sure why it was particularly exciting but it may have been the domino effect of explosions that detonated throughout the battlefield that made them all so giddy.

Something about fire. It just really made all of them bouncier.

Echo shrugged, attempting nonchalance. “Had to learn something from all of that ARC training.” It was the first time he’d truly felt confident with the batch. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, spent even less time in the field, and he’d fumbled a few plays - understandable - but he’d let it hurt his ego a bit too much. All those racing thoughts and unease had wriggled its way into his mind. A win was nice. It reminded him who he was. A time when they thought he fit in was even better. The batch was so tight he started to think infiltrating their ranks was impossible.

Maybe he just hadn’t given them enough time.

Wrecker laughed - bright and jovial - nudging Echo again, this time hard enough that he bumped into Hunter who steadied him with a grin. “You can say that again! We make a great team.” In a move that almost knocked all the air out of his lungs Wrecker swept his arms around Echo’s waist, lifting him up into the air. The shock came first along with a surprised noise from the back of his throat - not a squeak, thank you very much - as the big guy hugged him. His feet dangled in the air while Wrecker swayed him back and forth.

This was the first time any of them had hugged him. For a brief moment it was like being doused in freezing cold water but the warmth radiating off of Wrecker made every bone in his body relax. Hugs certainly hadn’t been at the top of his list of priorities - he hadn’t really thought about it - but he found himself smiling regardless. Wrecker was a tactile guy, mostly shoving and throwing his arm around the others, but hugs weren’t out of the question. Echo just hadn’t realized that Wrecker would ever want to hug him with his metal and attitude and newness to the squad so he’d not yet attempted to get physically closer to any of them yet. At least Wrecker was the easiest to befriend, so quick to invite Echo to join him in their down time and offer him space. It felt nice to be treated like a part of things. He couldn’t really hug him back, not with his arms pinned to the side as they were, but he did chuckle, awkwardly patting Wrecker’s side.

“Any time, big guy. Maybe next time we can make it a few more yards away from the explosion before it goes off.” The light scold was taken lightheartedly with a laugh. Wrecker squeezed him tight one last time then put him down, holding onto his shoulder to keep him steady while he regained his footing. The smile stuck to his face so bad he almost had to hide it behind his hand. Something as simple as a hug and he was taken down, reduced to silence, watching dutifully as the rest of them kept getting under each other's skin. Lucky was a word he would use, he supposed. It may seem simple but the worry that his new squad wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to be tactile with him was slowly ebbing away, flickering to the back of his mind even for the moment. His hand itched to do the same things the rest of them seemed so comfortable with - shoving, ruffling hair, hugs - but he wasn’t quite there yet. Wasn’t ready to be the initiator for tactile forms of affection. Wrecker had opened the door, allowed in some form of familiarity he hadn’t quite realized he missed so much. There was still learning, sure, but hope bloomed in his chest at the thought that this could be more than a squad, more than a team, but something closer to his heart altogether.

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